Future Tense
by bttf4444
Summary: Marty and Doc help Marty Jr and Harmony prevent the spread of a terrible epidemic that claimed a friend's life. Edited Epilogue to remove reference to MJF having PD.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Back to the Future.**

_May 14, 2016  
1:30 PM PDT_

Seventeen year old Marty McFly Jr was eating at the Cafe 80s with his best friend, Harmony Brown. Both were feeling very dejected - as, just last night, news came that some new terrible deadly disease had afflicted a mutual friend of theirs, Andrew Hopkins.

'We'll have to stop by the hospital, when we're done eating,' Marty Jr insisted, with a sigh.

'I can't come with you,' Harmony replied, regretfully. 'Unfortunately, I have a dentist appointment to go to. I really would like to be able to say good bye to Andy one more time. Well, anyway, please let Andy know that I will really miss him - and that I regret the fact that I will not be able to be see him, until it's probably too late.'

'Yeah, sadly, people tend to die within less then 24 hours after being afflicted with this terrible disease,' Marty Jr said, blinking back tears. 'Oh, Harmony, this isn't fair. He's still so young. It's so cruel that his life should be taken away from him so soon.'

'Hey, Marty, I have an idea,' Harmony said, with sudden realization. 'We have a time machine! We can go back in time to prevent Andy from dying. How does that sound?'

'Well, Harmony, it does sound very tempting,' Marty Jr said, sighing. 'However, remember how your grandpa told us that we are not to use the time machine, under any circumstances, without asking for permission. I know, this is hardly a normal circumstance, but...'

'We can ask Grandpa, when I return from the dentist,' suggested Harmony. 'I hope he understands our situation. Besides, it's not like your dad didn't use the time machine to save Grandpa's life a few times.'

'That is true, Harmony,' Marty Jr said, quietly. 'I'm sure he'll understand how we feel. Maybe we can have Dad back us up on this, too. Dad would understand.'

'Yeah, we shouldn't have too much difficulty with convincing your dad,' Harmony said, nodding. 'It will be a bit harder to convince Grandpa, though - and he's the one who created the time machine.'

oooooooooo

An hour later, Marty Jr sat by Andy's bedside - as he helplessly watched his best friend dying. Marty Jr struggled with all of his might, to keep from crying.

'Of course, Marty, you may have my amplifier,' Andy was saying. 'You may also have my entire CD collection.'

'Oh, Andy,' Marty Jr breathed, 'I will miss you terribly. I really wish there was hope for you to stay alive. It's so sad to see you go. My life will feel so empty without you.'

'Just believe, Marty,' Andy said, softly. 'As soon as I enter heaven, I will be looking after you. You have to trust that I will always be there.'

'That won't be quite the same thing,' insisted Marty Jr. 'Now we'll need to find someone new to play the rhythm guitar for us. I will miss hoverboarding with you, and hanging out with you at Cafe 80s. I'll miss being able to call you on the phone, and talk to you.'

Marty Jr then began to cry. Andy reached out to dab at a tear that rolled down Marty Jr's face.

'I understand how much you'll miss me,' Andy said, softly. 'However, you must not give up on life. The time has come for me to be home with the Lord. However, life will still go on for you and everyone else left alive. Please try to be happy for me. I'll soon be in heaven, where there will be no more pain or suffering.'

Marty Jr tried to understand his friend's view of his impending death. He knew he was being a bit selfish, and thinking just of himself. Still, he couldn't help how he felt. He wasn't ready to let his friend go. Andy was too young to die, for crying out loud. He hasn't even graduated from high school, yet.

Andy reached out to hug Marty Jr. Marty Jr had returned the hug, and he didn't want to let go.

'I love you, Andy,' Marty Jr whispered, choking back tears.

'I love you, too, Marty,' Andy whispered.

Then Andy went limp in Marty Jr's arms. Marty Jr was stunned, as he gently laid the now corpse of his best friend back onto his bed. Marty Jr then sat on the floor, as he drew his knees up to his chest, folded his arms onto his knees, and buried his face into his arms and began to cry hysterically.

oooooooooo

As Harmony's dentist appointment had ended, she kept blinking back tears. She kept thinking that Andy may have died, now - and that it was too late to save her friend. Her father, Jules, had put his arms around her and gave her a tight squeeze.

'Thinking about Andy Hopkins, sweetheart?' Jules asked, softly.

'Oh, Daddy, why couldn't we have postponed the appointment?' Harmony asked, with grief. 'It might be too late too say good bye. This epidemic is so terrible. I hope they find a cure, soon - but it will be too late for Andy.'

'I understand, sweetie,' Jules said, gently, as he gave his daughter a tight squeeze. 'It's just that I believe it's very important to keep appointments that you make. I'm sorry, dear.'

As soon as Harmony returned home, she would have to call the hospital to see if Andy was still living. She hoped desperately to have a chance to say good bye to him.

oooooooooo

After Marty Jr had left Hill Valley Hospital, he slowly walked over to Hill Valley Park. The sun was shining brightly, and it was a nice warm day outside. However, Marty Jr did not at all feel like smiling. In fact, he felt extremely devastated. After all, he and Andy had been best friends since they were four. They have been friends for most of their lives.

As tears came to Marty Jr's eyes, he could then hear some of those stuffy lo-rez people lecturing him about how it was selfish to mourn for people who had passed away - that it was better to remember their lives with joy, and to be happy that the deceased have now moved onto a better place. Now Marty Jr was a relatively spiritual person. He was very certain of the fact that God exists - and he did also believe in heaven. He also bagan to feel anger towards those people who held the opinion that it was selfish to feel sadness over the loved ones who had passed away.

_Screw those people_, Marty Jr thought, angrily. _How dare those lo-rez scuzzballs pass judgement on people who are grieving? I can't help but feel sad that Andy is gone. He was my best friend, and I will miss him dearly. It's sad to think that I'll never see him again. Those who would dare judge me for grieving over my friend can go nump off. It's not like I'm a robot without emotion, after all. I am a human being, and it hurts to lose people that you are close to._

Marty Jr was so overwhelmed with grief that he was in such great agony. He just couldn't take it anymore. He sat down by one of the trees, drew his knees up to his chest, folded his arms onto his knees - and he buried his face into his arms and collapsed into sobs. Marty Jr wept with all of his heart, as he realized that his best friend was gone forever. 


	2. Chapter 1

_May 14, 1986  
3:10 PM PDT_

Seventeen year old Marty McFly decided to drive over to the Browns' home after school. He and Dr. Emmett Brown - or Doc, as Marty called him - had been best friends for a little over eleven years. He was now married to Clara, who he saved from falling into the ravine back in 1885 - and they had two kids, named Jules and Verne, with a third child on the way. Both of Doc's children have taken a great liking to Marty, and they've both thought of him as a big brother - and not in an Orwellian kind of way, either.

As soon as Marty arrived at the Browns's residence, he saw Doc out in the garage. He stepped out of the car, and he walked up to Doc.

'Oh, hello, Marty!' exclaimed Doc. 'Listen I wondering if you could do me a little favour.'

'Oh, uh, what kind of a favour?' asked Marty.

'Well, I kinda need some computer parts from the year 2016,' explained Doc. 'Ordinarily, I would go myself - but I'm terribly sick right now. I'm not sure that my body can handle the temporal displacement of fourth-dimensional travel right now. So I was wondering if you would mind going for me.'

'Oh, uh, no!' replied Marty. 'I don't mind at all. I'd be happy to run a little errand for you, since you're not feeling well right now.'

'Now, Marty, we have to go through a few things first,' Doc said, with authority. 'I do not want you looking up your own future. As I've always said, nobody should know too much about their own destiny.'

'Yeah, Doc, I know,' Marty said, rather impatiently. 'You gave me that lecture about a million times already.'

'Well, Marty, I just want you to understand the importance of this,' Doc said, sighing. 'Remember how, last month, your son and my granddaughter came here to visit us? You see, if you find out too much about your destiny, you could end up making some drastic changes to future events that are already the past to your son and Harmony. That would create a major time paradox, the results of which could cause a chain reaction that would unravel the very fabric of the space-time continuum and destroy the entire universe. Do you understand how serious this is, Marty?'

'Yes, Doc,' Marty said, sighing. 'So are you saying that my future is written, not that we have received some visitors from the future?'

'Yeah, actually, I would have to say yes,' Doc said, a bit slowly. 'It's just like when you came back to 1955 from 1985. On one hand, it was encouraging to know that I would invent a time machine that would work. I can't even began to tell you how thrilled I am about that. On the other hand, though, it did place a lot of pressure on me. Like, I wasn't sure how you and I would end up being friends. It was tough being casual friends with your father, and not trying to push a relationship on you. I knew I had to let it happen naturally.'

'Right, Doc,' Marty said, nodding. 'It is amazing how we ended up meeting the same way in both timelines. In both timelines, you had rescued me from Cliff Tannen and his gang. I'm actually more amazed by how much has remained the same between the two timelines, than by how much has changed.'

'I believe it's the self-preservation effect,' replied Doc. 'I believe that, ultimately, it's God who keeps the space-time continuum in place. However, when God gives us a gift, He expects us to use the gift responsibly. I mean, think of why the earth is in the shape it is. It's not because God has abandoned us. It's because we humans haven't been taking care of this earth, like we should. This was, in fact, one of the first drawbacks of this era that Clara had pointed out to me.'

'You know, I like technology as much as the next person,' Marty said, sighing. 'I do wonder, though, if we might have too much technology within thirty years. I mean, within the last year, and with the help of Jennifer, I have come to really appreciate nature. There's nothing quite like taking a nice stroll through Hill Valley Park and enjoying the beautiful scenery. There's gotta be a way for nature and technology to be in harmony with each other.'

'Right, Marty, I hear ya,' Doc said, nodding. 'The bottom line is, there are ways to reduce the pollution problem and the destruction of the ozone layer without sacrificing our own comforts and pleasures. I think it's just that too many of us are either too lazy or too apathetic to really care.'

'Yeah, I have to admit that I myself can be rather guilty of that,' Marty said, sighing. 'Maybe, sometime in the future, we'll have an alternative to gasoline - an alternative that's more environment-friendly. I try to remain optimistic about the future, you know.'

'Right, Marty,' Doc replied, 'that's the spirit. Now speaking of technology, I need you to pick up this list of electronics from 2016.'

Marty glanced at the list, and he saw one item the caused his eyes to nearly bug out. 'Whoa, Doc!' exclaimed Marty. 'You need a 500 terabyte hard drive? That is a lot of computer space, I must say!'

'That does sound like a lot, doesn't it?' Doc asked, laughing. 'Anyway, I'll be needing these items for an upcoming project of mine. Just think, in about four years from now, the world wide web will be invented - and, soon, everyone will have the whole world at their fingertips. Well, in a virtual sense, anyway. By the time the year 2000 comes around, the majority of households will have a computer with internet access.'

'Whoa, Doc, this is heavy!' breathed Marty. 'I've heard a little bit about the internet, but what is it exactly?'

'Well, about ten years from now,' Doc explained, 'people will be able to put up information of their own for the whole world to read on what you would call a website. People will also be able to communicate with one another on the internet through something called electronic mail - or email, for short. People can also communicate instantaneously through chat rooms anf instant messengers, sort of like people may talk on the telephone, now.'

'Okay, Doc, now you lost me,' Marty said, laughing. 'I might as well drive the DeLorean over to Hill Valley Park, and head over to 2016. I'll keepin mind everything you said.'

'Good,' replied Doc, nodding. 'Do not even think about picking up the almanac this time. I hope I can trust you, Marty.'

'Doc, I learned my lesson from last time,' Marty said, a bit impatiently. 'In fact, I never even want to see that damn almanac ever again!'

'Sorry, Marty,' Doc said, blushing. 'I just thought I'd remind you, that's all.'

'Yes, well, you're the doc, Doc,' Marty replied, as he hugged his friend. 'I'll be back soon!'

'Good,' replied Doc. 'Have a safe trip!'

Marty then went to step into the DeLorean, and he drove it over to Hill Valley Park - then he hovered the DeLorean and accelerated the speed to 88 miles per hour, before breaking the time barrier 


	3. Chapter 2

_May 14, 2016  
4:00 PM PDT_

After Marty had park the car in the woods of Hill Valley Park, he started to leave the park to head off to OfficeMAX. Suddenly, he heard the sounds of gasping sobbing near him. Marty turned his head, to see someone who looked just like him leaning up against a tree and crying as if his heart would break. _This has to be Marty Jr_, Marty thought, as his heart went out for his son. Marty walked up to his future son, and wrapped his arms around him. Despite the fact that he was currently the same age as his son, Marty cradled his future son into his arms as a parent would naturally comfort a crying child.

'Daddy, is that you?' Marty Jr asked, lifting up his tear-stained face.

'Yes, honey, it's me,' Marty said, softly - as he rubbed his son's back. 'What's troubling you, dear?'

'My, uh, my best friend died today,' Marty Jr sobbed, forlornly. Marty Jr clung onto Marty tightly, for comfort

'Who?' Marty asked, gently. Marty felt like crying, himself. It bothered him to see his future son crying. 'Was it Harmony?'

'No, it was Andy,' sobbed Marty Jr. 'He died of Jack Coleman Fever. I watched him die, Dad. He died in my arms.'

_Jack Coleman Fever?_ Marty thought, confused. _That must be some terrible disease that exists in the future._

'Oh, I'm so sorry, honey,' murmured Marty, blinking back his own tears. He figured that he must be strong for his future son.

'Oh, Daddy, I, uh, I, uh, uh...' Marty Jr was crying too hard to say anything more

'Shhhhh, don't say a word,' Marty whispered to Marty Jr. 'Just let it all out, honey. I can imagine that was extremely heartbreaking for you.'

Marty rocked Marty Jr back and forth, as his future son sobbed brokenly. Marty's heart really ached for his future son.

oooooooooo

Marty Jr felt somewhat comforted by the soft touch of his father as a teenager. He has seen his father as a teenager once before, when he travelled back to 1986 with his friend, Harmony. He was amazed by how much he and his father had in common. They were often more like buddies, than like father and son. His mother, Jennifer, had always been the disciplinarian of the two - and, much of the time, Jennifer had been as lenient as Marty Sr.

Poor Marty Jr continued to weep as if his heart was breaking. He couldn't believe that Andy was gone. He and Andy had been best friends, ever since they were children. He wished there was a way to bring his friend back, then he remembered that this teenage version of his father had a time machine.

'Isn't there anything you can do, Dad?' Marty Jr sobbed, with despair. 'Can't you go back in time and bring him back to life?'

'I'm afraid I can't, honey,' Marty said, apologetically. 'I wish I could, but I know how Doc is always lecturing me on using the time machine to change history. You have to realize that I don't belong in this time. I came here from 1986. This is still my future.'

'So there's nothing you can do, Dad?' Marty Jr pleaded, through sobs. 'Andy meant so much to me, though. I can't believe that I'll never see him again.'

Then Marty himself began to cry. 'I wish I could help you, son,' Marty sobbed. 'I hate to see you suffer like this. I'm not even your father, yet - and my heart is really aching out for you. I really do want to help you, my son. I really do.'

The two Martys then hugged each other tightly, as they sobbed onto each other's shoulder. Marty Jr had decided to take into the scents of his father as a teenager. He was touched by how much his father loved him, before Marty Jr was even born to Marty Sr.

oooooooooo

After Harmony called the hospital to find out about Andy's condition, she was told that he was dead. With a heavy heart, Harmony decided to take a stroll into Hill Valley Park. Then, after walking into the park for awhile, she heard someone crying nearby. She turned her head, and she saw that it was... two Martys? _One of them must be Marty Senior from the 1980s_, thought Harmony. She then realized that Marty Jr must have seen Andy pass away. He must have seen Andy die in front of him. _I really hope they can find a way to curb this terrible disease, soon._

'Uh, Marty,' Harmony asked, softly, 'I already heard. Andy passed away.'

'Yes, he did,' Marty Jr sobbed. 'I can hardly believe that he's gone forever. I wish we could go back in time to prevent this terrible disease from spreading.'

'That's what I would like to do,' added Marty, sobbing. 'We'll have to talk to Doc about this. I mean, this is my future - and this is what I have to look forward to?'

Harmony struggled to keep from crying herself. She figured that she must remain strong for the Martys.

'Hey, Big Marty,' Harmony asked, softly, 'what brings you over to this time? Is it possible that fate maybe brought you here, to prevent this terrible disease from ever occurring?'

'Doc sent me here on an errand,' Marty replied, weeping. 'He just told me to go to 2016 - he didn't tell me what date. I just picked this date, because it's 30 years from where I came from.'

'So, Big Marty,' Harmony asked, swallowing, 'Can you help us, please? Can you take us back with you, so we can talk to Grandpa?'

'I suppose I could,' replied Marty, as he wiped his eyes. 'I mean, I certainly don't want to see this terrible epidemic in our future. Why don't we head over to the library, and find out how this terrible disease got started? I mean, I know you guys have information at your fingertips now - as Doc had told me about the internet in the future.'

'Thank you, Big Marty,' gushed Harmony, as she threw her arms around Marty.

'Yeah, thanks, Dad,' added Marty Jr, as he wiped his eyes and hugged Marty.

'Well, Doc sent me over here to pick up some electronics for him,' Marty explained. 'So, why don't you two head over to the library, and find out all you can about this disease - and I'll meet you guys over there in about half an hour?'

'It sounds like a deal, Dad,' Marty Jr said, managing a small. 'Come on, Harmony, let's go. Let's try to find out the who, what, when, where, why, and how about the whole situation.'

'Sounds good, Marty,' replied Harmony, as she and Marty Jr started to head out of the park.

Marty waited for his son and Harmony to leave the park, before heading off to OfficeMAX. He figured that if the residents of 2016 saw Marty and his son together, people would ask too many questions. So it was best to try to be as inconspicuous as possible. 


	4. Chapter 3

_May 14, 2016  
4:30 PM PDT_

As Marty Jr walked over to Hill Valley Community Library with Harmony, he tried to remain hopeful. It did sort of seem like some lucky coincidence that his father from thirty years ago had decided to show up today. He did think it was rather nice to be able to see his father as a teenager again - although, he wished they could have met again under different circumstances.

'Just think, Marty,' whispered Harmony, 'it looks like we'll get to visit the year 1986 again. The thing is, though, this doesn't seem quite so exciting this time - I guess, because we just encountered a major tragedy in our lives. I swear, I have never before lost anyone that I was real close to'

'Well, it's certainly not going to be pleasure trip this time around,' Marty Jr said, quietly. 'That's for sure! This time, we have a huge mission on our hands. I just hope that your grandpa will agree to help us. Not only for the sake of our friend, but also for the sake of all the other lives that the disease has claimed. It's almost like Armageddon is here. This disease could wipe out the whole world. This is really serious, Harmony.'

'Oh, my God, Marty!' exclaimed Harmony. 'You're absolutely right! I mean, for all we know, we could be next. All right then, we'll have to find out all we can about this terrible epidemic. Well, we know Jack Coleman is the first victim to succomb to the disease, hence the name Jack Coleman Fever. We'll have to head straight to the source of the disease, and nip it right in the bud.'

'Whoa, Harmony, this is heavy!' Marty Jr said, sighing. 'We're just a couple of teenagers. This is going to be a rather big task for us. Well, this will certainly be worth it - and we'll actually be heroes.'

'Yeah, right,' Harmony said, nodding. 'It's just a shame that we won't be able to take credit for preventing the terrible epidemic from happening.'

'Oh, why not?' Marty Jr asked, a bit baffled. 'Why can't we take credit for it?'

'Marty, you're not thinking fourth-dimensionally,' Harmony chided, gently.'We'll have to go into our past to prevent this from happening. If we were to take credit for it, it might confuse our younger selves, and everyone who saw our younger selves on that day. This could lead to all kinds of tricky questions. Even worse, this could create a time paradox. We certainly don't want that to happen.'

'Oh, yeah, I didn't even think about that,' Marty Jr said, sighing. 'I'm still not sure if I really understand time travel all that well, despite that trip that we took to 1986 last month. Thinking about time travel can be very complicated, you know?'

'Right, Marty, I hear ya,' replied Harmony. 'Well, here we are. We're at the library, now. Let's head over to the periodicals section, and check out the newspapers from the last three weeks. We should be able to find some answers here.'

'Right, yeah,' replied Marty Jr, 'let's go. We should check out the current edition first, and then work from there. I'm sure each edition has at least a small section about the disease. As far as I know, it's still limited to California - but this could soon spread to the whole country, and then to the whole world.'

'Yeah, this could be bad for all of us,' commented Harmony. 'Well, let's check out the newspapers, and see what we can find.'

oooooooooo

After Marty had picked up the electronics for Doc, he then slowly made his way to the library. He hoped that the library would be in the same location thirty years later. He was amazed by how much this era greatly resembled the 2015 of when he and Jennifer had come here last October. The major difference was that, since Marty ended up never getting into the accident with the Rolls Royce, he was apparently headed towards a happier future. He was tempted to find out where he lived in the future of this timeline, and he figured that he should heed to Doc's warning.

Besides, he had to find out more about this terrible epidemic that claimed so many lives in this era, including that of his future son's best friend. He hoped that Doc would be understanding of the situation. after all, it's not like he sought out to find his future son. He just happened to stumble across his future son crying - and his parental instincts kicked in, as he felt the need to comfort his future son.

After about fifteen minutes, Marty had finally reached the library. It was certainly much bigger than it was in 1986, but it was at least in the same spot. He then stepped into the building, as he went to find the periodicals section - where he figured that his future son and Harmony would be. Sure enough, he saw Marty Jr and Harmony flipping through newspapers.

'Okay, Marty,' Harmony was saying to Marty Jr, 'let's just grab an issue of all the newspapers from the last three weeks, and check them all out.'

'Right, yeah, and we could...' Marty Jr started to say. Then he turned around and saw Marty. 'Oh, hi, Dad! There you are!'

'No, actually, I'm Michael J Fox,' Marty said, teasingly. 'Would you two like my autograph?'

Marty Jr and Harmony both burst out laughing.

'Haha, very funny, Big Marty!' Harmony said, laughing. 'You don't fool me! Besides, even if Michael J Fox did find a way to either travel through time or get a rejuvination to make himself look so young, why would he be wearing the same clothes that you were wearing earlier?'

'Well, I guess I can't fool you!' Marty said, laughing. Then, turning serious, he asked, 'So, did you guys find anything out, yet?'

'Well, we were just going to check out the last three weeks worth of issues of the Hill Valley Edition of USA Today,' explained Marty Jr. 'I'm sure we should be able to find something there.'

'Okay, then,' said Marty, 'why don't you guys check out the newspaper - and we can head back to Hill Valley Park, and try to make sense of what's going on here. Gee, in a way, this is almost worse than when I was in Hell Valley.'

'Hell Valley?' Harmony asked, confused.

'Oh, to put it simply,' Marty started to say, 'it was the world that was created from when I last visited this era - and Biff took the almanac that I purchased to give it to his younger self. Let's just say the a world where Biff is rich and powerful is a living nightmare.'

'Yeah, I can imagine that the world would be a horrible place,' Harmony said, nodding. 'Yeah, Biff can be pretty nasty, when he's away from his important customers. I sometimes think he's still bitter about how your father punched him out back in 1955. Of course, he's not anywhere near as terrifying as his grandson, Griff - but he can still be a nasty one.'

'Say, does Biff carry a cane around with him, now?' Marty asked, with curiosity.

'Yeah, he does,' Harmony said, nodding. 'He's pretty old and frail, now. He seems to be a lot smarter than he ever was, though. Griff has a habit of flubbing up old saying. Like, for example, he'll say 'grab an egg and scramble it' - when the correct saying is really 'grab an egg and beat it'. Your older self had commented that Biff use to say 'make like a tree and get outta here' - when the correct saying is really 'make like a tree and leave'. Gee, I guess flubbing up saying runs in the Tannen family.'

'I guess so,' Marty said, nodding, 'even though Griff flubs up the saying in a slightly different manner.'

'Well, anyway,' Marty Jr said, sighing, 'I suppose we should head over to the park, so that we can discuss this more privately.'

'Good idea,' replied Harmony. Then, turning to Marty, she added, 'Uh, Big Marty, you should maybe head off to the front entrance of Hill Valley. We can's have everyone seeing you and your son together. It would lead to all kinds of tricky questions, and I really don't want to deal with that.'

'Oh, yeah, right,' stammered Marty. 'I'll head out right now. See you in about fifteen minutes or so.'

Marty then left the building, as he walked three blocks to the park. 


	5. Chapter 4

_May 14, 2016  
5:00 PM PDT_

As soon as Marty Jr and Harmony had met Marty at the front entrance of Hill Valley Park, the three of them decided to sit at a picnic table. Marty Jr and Harmony laid out off the newspapers on the table. Harmony then reached for the current newspaper, and she immediately noticed that the headline read 'Dr. Elias Grey Accused Of Spreading Jack Coleman Fever'.

'What the hell?' gasped Harmony. 'Hey, Marty and Marty, check this out.'

'Holy shit!' exclaimed Marty, as he started to read the article. 'So he sold this farmer, Jack Coleman, some contaminated chickens - and that's how this terrible disease started spreading?'

'Apparently so,' said Marty Jr, sighing. 'What a bastard! What was this dude thinking? He's trying to start an apocalypse, for crying out loud!'

'He's got to be the sickest man on this planet,' groused Harmony. 'I mean, whatever possessed him to do such a dirty, underhanded thing like that. I say this bastard should get the death penalty!'

'We'll have to go back to 1986, and talk to Doc about this,' said Marty. 'I get the feeling it is our duty to go back in time, and prevent this terrible disaster from ever happening. Well, it's still in my future - but you guys get what I mean.'

'I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around this,' seethed Marty Jr, as he pounded his fist on the table. 'I would like to see this bastard die a long and painful death!'

'Let's try to calm down, you two,' Marty said, gently. 'Believe me, I am just as angry about this as you are. Still, we need to try to remain calm - so that we can make plans of how to resolve this.'

'We should figure out how old this Elias Grey is,' declared Harmony, 'then we should go back in time to prevent this bastard from ever being born.'

'No, no, Harmony,' Marty chided, gently, 'that's a little too extreme - and that could just lead to some nasty repercussions. It's best to figure out the day he sells the chickens to Jack Coleman, and then go from there. That way, we can nip this epidemic right in the bud.'

'Yeah, that's a better plan,' agreed Marty Jr. 'That way, we don't alter history too much. We just simply prevent the spread of this terrible epidemic.'

'Right, exactly,' Marty said, softly. 'We'll have to talk to Doc about this first, though - before we take on any further actions. We do definitely need to find a way to curb this epidemic, though. I mean, remember, this is still my future. I don't want to think that I have this to look forward to.'

After a few minutes, Harmony found an article that was discussing the f. brucella virus, which was the virus that caused Jack Coleman Fever. Harmony's eyes had filled up with tears, as she was reading about the terrible virus that had claimed the life of her friend.

'What are you reading now, Harmony?' Marty asked, gently.

'I'm reading about this terrible virus called f. brucella virus,' explained Harmony. 'It's the virus that causes Jack Coleman Fever. It was a disease that had infected chickens in San Francisco for awhile. The farmers have been finding ways to contain the virus, and prevent it from spreading. Apparently, though, this Elias Grey had gotten his hands on some of those infected chickens - and then he had this bright idea to sell some of those chickens to Jack Coleman, which eventually led to his death.'

'So what are the symptoms of Jack Coleman Fever, anyway?' asked Marty.

'Some symptoms include a high fever,' explained Marty Jr, 'severe dehydration, fatigue, coughing, vomiting, and rashes. It also includes a chest ache - which, I believe, is what eventually leads to death, as the heart eventually stops.'

Marty Jr then started to weep silently, as Marty put his arm around his son's shoulder. Harmony felt like crying, too - but she blinked back tears, so that she could find out more about the terrible disease, so that they can go back in time and curb the epidemic

'So, when did Jack Coleman die?' asked Marty. 'I gather he was the first victim to succomb to this terrible disease?'

'Yeah, that's why the disease was named after him,' replied Harmony, quietly. 'He died on the third of May. It was on the fifth that they finally found out what the cause of his death was. Sadly, people tend to die within 24 hours of aquiring this terrible virus - and there isn't a cure for it, yet. Andy had come up sick last night, and he died early this afternoon.'

'That is awful,' Marty said, quietly. 'Well, let me know what else you find out, okay?'

'I will,' replied Harmony, as she turned back to reading the newspapers.

'I do think it's fate that brought me to this era,' Marty added. 'I mean, I'm sure Doc didn't know about the epidemic when he sent me here. He didn't tell me what day to go to, just to go to the year 2016. I just simply picked today, because it's exactly thirty years from where I came from.'

'Whoa, Marty, check what I found!' exclaimed Harmony. 'There was one fatality in Nevada yesterday. That was the first victim outside of California to succomb to Jack Coleman Fever. It was a five year old girl - and she was so pretty, too. Ugh, I would like to slit Elias Grey's throat! What a heartless bastard!'

'That is terrible,' Marty said, quietly, as he was blinking back tears. 'So you said that the disease started in San Francisco?'

'That's right,' replied Harmony. 'The first human to succomb to the disease, though, was in Sacramento. That was where Jack Coleman lived. Elias Grey lived in San Francisco, and he apparently knew that Jack Coleman was hoping to purchase some more chickens. Apparently, Elias Grey also held a deep grudge against Jack Coleman - which was why Jack Coleman was the one targeted.'

'So, how many fatalities were there so far?' asked Marty.

'Well, according to today's newspaper,' explained Harmony, 'there are currently 78 fatalities in California, and one in Nevada. That makes it a total of 79 fatalities. However, we have a few more fatalities today - or at least one more.'

Harmony then couldn't take it anymore, and she began to cry. Marty had put his arms around Harmony's shoulder, and tried to comfort her. After about five minutes, Marty Jr and Harmony had stopped crying.

'Well, you two,' Marty said, sighing, 'I suppose we should head back to 1986 now, and talk to Doc about all this. Let's bring the newspapers along, so that we can show him.'

Marty Jr and Harmony then gathered up all the newspapers, and then they followed Marty to the DeLorean. Marty Jr and Harmony squeezed in on the passenger seat, while Marty set the time circuits for 3:30 PM of May 14, 1986.

'All right, time circuits on,' Marty informed his son and Harmony. 'Junior and Harmony - brace yourselves for temporal displacement.'

Then Marty began to pilot the DeLorean over the trees, until he got up to 88 miles per hour - then the DeLorean broke the time barrier. 


	6. Chapter 5

_May 14, 1986  
3:30 PM PDT_

'Well, guys, here we are!' called out Marty, as he landed the DeLorean into Hill Valley Park in 1986. 'We'll drive over to Doc's home, and try to not let the police catch us?'

'You mean because Harmony and I are scrunched up in the same seat?' asked Marty Jr.

'Right, exactly,' Marty said, nodding. 'Plus, I would have to explain who you are - and why you look just like me.'

'Oh, yeah, right,' replied Marty Jr. 'So how are we going to break the news to Doc?'

'Just leave it to me,' Marty said, smiling a little. 'He did give me specific instructions to not look up my own future, but it's not like I did it deliberately. I just stumbled across you crying in the park, and my parental instincts just kicked in. I felt that the right thing to do would be take you into my arms and comfort you.'

'You really are a good father, Dad,' Marty Jr said, smiling back. 'You really do have a big heart. You're a caring and compassionate person.'

'Thank you,' Marty replied, blushing a bit. He then felt shame over how he felt about his son on his trip to 2015. It was 2015 of the timeline when Marty broke his hand in an automobile accident, and he had regarded his future son as a wimp. He was also a bit angry at his older self for not raising his son to have more confidence.

oooooooooo

'Well, guys, here we are!' announced Marty, is he pulled into the driveway of Doc's home. 'you two just wait out here in the garage, and I'll come into the house and get Doc.'

Doc then went up to the house, and he rang the doorbell.

'Oh, thank you very much, Marty,' Doc replied, as he opened the door and saw Marty holding a bag full of items from 2015.

'Doc, there's something I need to tell you,' Marty said, in a serious tone. 'As I was walking through Hill Valley Park, I saw my future son crying by a tree. I know you told me not to find out about my own future, but my parental insticts kicked in. It turns out that there's a terrible epidemic that started here in California, and it claimed the life of a close friend of my son.'

'Okay, Marty, try to calm down,' Doc said, gently. 'I have to admit that I am a little baffled at the idea of having parental instincts for your children that aren't even born yet. Then again, I never saw Jules or Verne before they were born.'

'Yeah, I have to admit that I'm a little surprised, myself,' Marty said, quietly. 'I mean, when I went back to 1955, I never really noticed any parental instincts from my parents. In fact, if anything, it almost seemed like I was being a parent to my dad - as I was coaching him to stand up for himself and others. Then again, neither of them really knew that I was their future son. Even today, neither of them suspect who Calvin Klein was.'

'What about your mom, though?' asked Doc. 'I mean, when your grandpa had hit you with the car? I would say there was some maternal instinct there.'

'I don't think so,' Marty said, shaking his head. 'She would have done that for anyone who was hit by a car - like my dad, for instance. Maybe because she was the oldest in her family, her nurturing instict was probably ingrained in her. In many other ways, though, she was very much a teenager - like in the way she kept hitting on me. Although, come to think of it, when she kissed me in the car on that fateful night - she did say that kissing me was a lot like kissing her brother. Also, I remember how, back in 1885, Seamus had made an ironically cryptic statement 'his future having something to do with it' when he showed up in the saloon - just as I was about to fight Buford Tannen. So maybe there was some gut instinct there.'

'Well, anyway,' Doc asked, quietly, 'what did you do after your son had explained to you about the epidemic? You guys didn't go your your future home, did you?'

'Oh, no, we didn't,' explained Marty. 'I had him and Harmony go to the library to look for newspapers. Oh, yeah, Harmony had stumbled across us in the park. Gee, I'm glad nobody else saw us together. We would have had some tricky questions to answer. Anyway, I had stopped by the OfficeMAX to pick up your items - while my son and Harmony went to the library. Then I went to the library to meet them. Then the three of us had returned to Hill Valley Park to try to make sense of how the epidemic had started and such. Then the three of us returned here to consult you. I had them wait in the garage, while I went to talk to you.'

'Okay, well, let's head out to the garage,' Doc suggested. 'This does sound like a condition serious enough to prevent from ever happening. Anyway, I hope to still be alive in thirty years - and I certainly don't want to have this to look forward to.'

'Yeah, me neither,' Marty said, nodding. 'I feel so bad this my future son and your future granddaughter has to go through this. Maybe we should just drop them off back in their present, while you and I go back to thwart the epidemic. Then they'll have no memory whatsoever of losing their friend.'

'As tempted as I am to do it,' Doc said, quietly, 'I'm afraid that doing so can result in a time paradox. I mean, if we prevent the epidemic from ever happening, then there would be no reason for your son to tell you about the event. See what I mean?'

'Yeah, I guess you're right, Doc,' Marty said, quietly. 'Gee, time travel can be so stressful at times. Then, on the other hand, time travel can come in very handy - when it comes to preventing epidemics like this.'

'Right, I suspect that it wasn't just a mere coincidence that brought you to the future at the time you did,' Doc said, thoughtfully. 'Then there is the way you stumbled across your future son, and then how Harmony stumbled across you guys. I think someone, God perhaps, is calling for us to thwart the event.'

'I think you're right, Doc,' Marty said, smiling. 'C'mon, let's go to the garage. We don't want my son and Harmony to worry about us.'

'Okay, you head out to the garage,' Doc said. 'I'm going to grab some popsicles and soft drinks, and meet you out there.'

'Check, Doc,' replied Marty, as he headed to the garage. 


	7. Chapter 6

_May 14, 1986  
4:00 PM PDT_

Doc, the Martys, and Harmony were sitting in Doc's lab - as the teens explained to Doc about the epidemic in the future.

'Okay, kids,' Doc asked, gently, 'So what exactly happened? What's this about an epidemic?'

'Check out today's article, Grandpa,' said Harmony, as she handed the newspaper to Doc. 'Well, today where we came from, I mean.'

Doc was silent for about five minutes as he read the article, then he gasped, 'Great Scott! This is terrible! We have to stop this from happening!'

'Our friend, Andrew Hopkins, had died from this dreaded disease,' Marty Jr said, as he began to cry. 'I watched him die right in front of me.'

'It's a good thing you thought to send me to the future, today,' Marty told Doc. 'Yeah, I think it is up to us to go back in time to prevent this terrible disaster. Well, I mean, go back in time for my future son and Harmony. Of course, it would still be the future to us. Gee, Doc, sometimes time travel can be so confusing - especially when we have two generations of time travellers involved. Well, actually, you and I aren't exactly the same generation, but you get the picture.'

'Right, right, I hear ya, Marty,' Doc replied. Then, shaking his head, he asked, 'So why did this Elias Grey person decide to spread this terrible epidemic, anyway?'

'Apparently, he wanted to rid the earth of 90 of the population,' explained Harmony. 'I guess he was disgruntled with most of humanity - so he felt that the world would somehow be better off, if 90 of us were wiped out by this terrible epidemic. I dunno, Grandpa. I guess he's mentally desturbed, or something.'

'So, in other words,' Doc said, sighing, 'he was trying to create an apacolypse. Does that sound about right to you?'

'Yeah, I guess that's a good way of putting it,' Harmony said, sighing. 'He is one sick bastard! That's for sure!' Harmony then turned back to the newspapers.

'Yeah, well,' replied Doc, 'I knew there was a good reason why I invented this time machine. I guess it is our duty to figure out when this Elias Grey had sold the chickens to Jack Coleman, and then try to prevent the incident from ever happening. We also have to find a way to get Elias Grey locked up, as he's obviously a big danger to the world. Don't worry, kids. Together, we can work everything out.'

'Well, you're the doc, Doc,' Marty said, smiling a little bit.

'I found it, Grandpa!' exclaimed Harmony. 'It was on May 1 of 2016 that Elias Grey had sold the chickens to Jack Coleman.'

'Do you know what time, and where?' asked Doc.

'Let me check,' Harmony said, as she scanned the newspaper. 'It says here that the exchange took place at Jack Coleman's farm at around 2:30 in the afternoon.'

'Okay, then,' Doc said, thoughtfully, 'if my calculations are correct, we should arrive at 1:00 PM of May 1, 2016 - then it would give us an hour and a half to locate Jack Coleman's farm. Then we can intercept Elias Grey's attempt to give those diseased chickens over to Jack Coleman. That should give us plenty of time, as Sacramento isn't too far away from here.'

'Yeah, that should nip the problem right in the bud,' Marty said, nodding. 'After all, Jack Coleman was the first victim to succomb to the disease. So, if we prevent Jack Coleman from become affected, then we'll prevent the epidemic from ever spreading. Doc, we'll be heroes!'

'You are a genius, Grandpa,' Harmony said, admiringly.

'Hey, I didn't do it all by myself,' Doc protested, modestly. 'You guys have all done your part, too, to determine the cause of the epidemic. Man, it's strange to think I'll be altering future history. Granted, it's the past to you guys - but it's the future to Marty and me. We'll certainly be doing the future world a huge favour, though.'

'I still say that this Elias Grey bastard should be locked up for life, ' seethed Marty Jr. 'This sole action of his is a threat to the world. In fact, he should die a very painful death. Gee, I have never felt so much hatred towards someone in my entire life.'

'I understand that you're upset,' Doc said, as he gently placed his hand on Marty Jr's arm.. 'However, getting upset really is not going to solve anything. It's better to think rationally about this, so that we can plan and take action.'

'Yeah, you're right, Doc,' Marty Jr said, sighing. 'I'm sorry. It's just that Andrew Hopkins is such a good friend of mine. It was so painful for me to watch his life slip away.'

'There's no need to apologize,' Doc said, gently. 'I understand perfectly, and I sympathize.'

'Well, it looks like there is hope for us,' Marty Jr said, sighing. 'Really, I'll do anything to bring Andy back to life. I mean, my life just feels so empty without him.'

'Okay, then,' mused Doc, 'we have to come up with a plan to intercept Elias Grey's attempt to hand those contaminated chickens to Jack Coleman. We should probably get all four of us into radiation suits. Then we'll have to knock this character out, and we'll call the police on him.'

'Yeah, it's probably a good idea to wear the radiation suits,' agreed Harmony. 'It would not only protect us from the virus, but it would also be a good disguise for us. That way, we don't have to deal with all kinds of tricky questions of who we are, why there are two Martys, and where we came from. While two of you will be in your future, Marty Jr and I will be in our past. Anyway, I have a cellphone you can use to call the police. Cellphones are very common in the future.'

'That good thinking, Harmony,' Doc said, impressed. 'Yeah, we should call up the police, to have them arrest Elias Grey. Maybe I alone could do it, while you guys should go into hiding. I mean, not only would we have two Marty's in that time - there there's also a third Marty and another Harmony. We can't let this incident get back to your younger selves.'

'Okay, Doc,' asked Marty, 'do you have the sleep-inducing alpha-rhythm generator on you? We'll probably be needing that to knock this bastard out.'

'Oh, yes, most definitely!' replied Doc. 'I guess I'll explain that I overheard Elias Grey talking about his plans to sell his diseased chickens to Jack Coleman - and that, if those chickens are not contained, it could spread an epidemic that could wipe out a huge portion of the human population.'

'Yeah, I'm sure the police will listen to us,' Marty Jr said, with confidence. 'After all, it is much better to be safe than sorry, right?'

'You bet,' replied Doc, 'the police would take anything like that very seriously. Anyway, let me get you guys all radiation suits - and then we'll head to the future.'

'Thank you for helping us, Grandpa,' Harmony said, gratefully.

'Oh, don't worry about it, Harmony,' Doc said, smiling. 'It's my job. Besides, it's why I invented the time machine - so that we can thwart major disasters like this from ever happening.' 


	8. Chapter 7

_May 14, 1986  
4:30 PM PDT_

The Martys and Harmony had followed Doc into the storage room, as Doc went to get radiation suits for everyone.

'Okay, guys,' instructed Doc, 'be careful when putting these on. This will be very important. The last thing we need is to have us catching the disease.'

'Right, Doc,' replied Marty, as he slipped into a radiation suit. 'We especially don't want to bring the disease back here to 1986. Not only would it make things dreadful for us, but I believe it could also create a time paradox.'

"The results of which could cause a chain reaction," Harmony added, "that would quite unravel the very fabric of the space-time continuum and destroy the entire universe."

'So, do we take off our radiation suits after we capture Elias Grey?' asked Marty Jr. 'I mean, even if you guys bring back the suits, it can be rather risky.'

'We have some sterilizing solution,' explained Doc, as he lifted up a bucket. 'We'll just throw the radiation suits in here. The solution would kill all of the viruses.'

'So what all else do we need, Doc?' asked Marty. 'I mean, we don't want to end up coming to Jack Coleman's place of residence unprepared. We want to be extremely cautious when dealing with a dangerous man like Elias Grey.'

'Here's my cellphone, Grandpa,' Harmony said, as she handed him the phone. 'I know we'll be needing this to call up the police.'

'Thanks, Harmony,' replied Doc. 'Yeah, let's make sure we have all the items that we need. We definitely need some rope so we can restrain this Elias Grey. Some handcuffs can come in real handy, too. That way, he doesn't attempt to unbind himself.'

'Good thinking, Doc,' Marty said, admiringly. 'Of course, we also need the sleep-inducing alpha-rhythm generator. Then we can bind him up, without him struggling.'

'So who's going to call the police, after we restrain him?' asked Harmony. 'I mean, we'll all be outside of our time. Little Marty and I will be in our past, while the two of you will be in your future.'

'Just leave everything to me,' said Doc. 'I'll call the police, and explain what's going on. I'll also request that I remain anonymous, so that my future self doesn't have a bunch of tricky question to have to answer.'

'Maybe we should contact your older self,' suggested Marty, 'so that he knows what's going on, in case anyone suggests this event to him.'

'You're not thinking fourth dimensionally, Marty,' Doc chided, gently. 'Once we take care of Elias Grey, and the ripple effect catches up, then my future self will remember this event from thirty years ago.'

'From thirty years...' Marty started to say. 'Oh, okay, now I get it!'

'What about Harmony and I?' asked Marty Jr. 'We're going to remember this event, right?'

'Unfortunately, yeah,' replied Doc. 'We really have no other choice. Your father did suggest dropping you guys off in your present first, but to do so could create a time paradox. On the positive side, this will maybe encourage you guys to appreciate life and your friends a little bit more.'

'I guess you have a point, Grandpa,' Harmony said, sighing. 'I mean, I never really lost someone who I was close to before. So, yeah, I'll definitely appreciate Andy more. I already regret all the times that I've fought with him, over things that are relatively small and minor - and also the times I was jealous of Marty spending time with him, until he became my friend, too.'

'Right, yeah,' Marty Jr added, nodding, 'I also regret all the times that I've become rather impatient with him. I vow to never have another fight with him, once we thwart the spread of this terrible epidemic.'

'Life is full of regrets, isn't it?' Marty asked, sympathetically. 'I have really come to value life a lot more, since my first trip through time last year. I mean, I no longer lose all self control over being called a 'chicken' - and I must say that, since you guys were last here, Needles has pretty much left me alone. It would be nice to think that Douglas Needles will one day grow up and actually contribute to society.'

'Well, I highly doubt that Griff Tannen will ever contribute something to society,' grumbled Harmony. 'I really rue the day Griff has children of his own.'

'The Tannens seem to have a bad gene, don't they?' Marty Jr asked, nodding. "Well, most of them, anyway. Bill seems to be immune for the gene, at least."

'Right,' agreed Marty, 'at least since Buford - even though Tiffany Gertrude Tannen didn't seem to be all that bad. Her son, Jiff, did seem to take after Buford a bit, though - well, except for the fact that he wasn't all trigger happy. Jill, on the other hand, was actually a very sweet girl.'

'Well, anyway, how are we all going to squeeze into the DeLorean?' asked Harmony. 'It's tough enough trying to squeeze three people into the thing, let alone four.'

'We're not going to take the DeLorean,' explained Doc. 'I also made a station wagon into a time machine. These are for instances that I decide to take trips through time with my family. We'll all take the station wagon. We'll have about an hour and a half to track down Jack Coleman's place of residence. With skyways being the norm, it should take only an hour to arrive in Sacramento. Then that will give us another half hour to locate the residence and defend ourselves against Elias Grey.'

'So I guess we're going for a little ride, then?' asked Marty Jr. 'Well, I guess it's not like everyone is going to be able to see the time circuits inside the car. The last thing we need is someone stealing the time machine from us.'

'Ugh, please don't remind us of that,' Marty groaned. 'I never want to see that terrible Hell Valley again. I always felt bad for what my counterpart might have gone through. I mean, my dad's counterpart was shot in 1973 - and then Biff married my mom's counterpart. Also, Richard Nixon was still the US president - and we were still at war with Viet Nam. It was terrible!'

'This goes to show us how very careful we have to be,' explained Doc, 'when it comes to time travel. We always take off from Hill Valley Park, now. Okay, guys, let's grab the items that we need - then we can step into the station wagon, and we'll drive over to Hill Valley Park. Let's make some sandwiches before we go, shall we?'

'How about chicken sandwiches?' suggested Marty. 'With mayo and salt and pepper?'

'That sounds good with me,' replied Marty Jr, as Harmony nodded in agreement.

'That sounds great,' replied Doc. 'Then we can also bring some packets of Hi-C along. Would you all like two sandwiches?'

'Yes, please!' replied the Martys and Harmony, simultaneously.

'Okay, you guys head out the the station wagon, then,' instructed Doc. 'I'll meet you guys out there real soon.'

Then the Martys and Harmony headed out to the garage, and they stepped into the station wagon. Marty sat in the front, while Marty Jr and Harmony sat behind him.

'Now we have plenty of room!' gushed Harmony. 


	9. Chapter 8

_May 1, 2016  
1:00 PM PDT_

'So where are we, Grandpa?' asked Harmony. 'I mean, when are we?'

'We are descending towards Hill Valley, California,' replied Doc, 'at 1:00 PM, on Sunday, May 1, 2016.'

'So we're headed off to Sacramento, then?' asked Marty. Then, worriedly, Marty asked, 'Doc, what if we don't succeed?'

'We must succeed!' was Doc's insistent reply. 'If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.'

'Well, you're the doc, Doc,' Marty replied, managing a small smile.

'If we expect to accomplish anything,' continued Doc, 'we must keep a positive attitude about it. If you can make your parents fall in love within a week, then we can certainly accomplish this. I know, this is an awesome responsibility - but this must be done.'

Marty was silent for a minute, as he pondered over Doc's words. Since the fateful day last year on October 26, Marty's life has been in jeopardy on a few occassions - whether it was nearly erasing himself from existence or being shot at by the Libyans, Mr. Peabody, or a Tannen.

'You know, Doc,' Marty said, quietly, 'I do sometimes feel that my life was so much simpler, before my first time travel experience. Then, on the other hand, my life has improved in many ways, since the invention of the time machine.'

'Right, right,' Doc replied, nodding. 'Now it's time to do our offspring a favour, and make their lives better. Anyway, I expect that you and I will still be alive by 2016 - and we don't want to have this to look forward to.'

'Also, look at it this way,' added Harmony. 'How many of us will ever have the opportunity to be able to visit other eras?'

'Well, I'm guessing you haven't been on as many trips as I have,' Marty said, sighing. 'I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining or anything. I'm just simply pointing out that time travel can be very stressful, at times. Still, I'm not about to give up on time travel. I'm just wanting you to understand that time travel is not all fun and games.'

'Well, I'm not exactly looking forward to the idea of hunting down a madman, myself,' said Marty Jr. 'I mean, yeah, I'm glad we have the opportunity to thwart this terrible disaster that could wipe out the human population - so that we can have our friend back. Still, I'm not exactly looking forward to facing down this psycho.'

'Right,' Harmony agreed, nodding. 'Anyway, my Marty has been nearly erased from existence herself - when Jennifer had mistaken him for you, and broke up with you.'

'That is true,' Marty said, quietly. 'Still, it's pretty minor compared to what I had to go through in 1955. I mean, Jennifer and I already knew about time travel - and, once we explained to Jennifer what happened, we would make up quickly.'

'Yeah, I guess you're right,' Marty Jr said, sighing. 'Anyway, the Doc is right. We should be able to take advantage of the time machine to thwart epidemics like this.'

'Well, I'll heed to Doc's advice,' Marty replied, managing a small smile. 'We will get that bastard! We will not let him create an apocalypse!'

'Now that's the spirit!' exclaimed Marty Jr, as he smiled back at Marty.

oooooooooo

'Okay, kids,' Doc was saying, as he made a left turn and landed on the road, 'we're on route two, now. Now we need to be looking at the mail boxes, and look for number 444.'

'Yes, Doc,' replied Marty. 'This next house is number 257.'

'We're at number 268,' added Marty Jr, 'so the numbers are going up.'

'Goiod, good,' replied Doc. 'We should be heading closer.'

'Now we're at number 325,' said Marty. 'I think we're getting close.'

'So what are we going to say to Jack Coleman?' asked Harmony. 'I mean, what if he accuses us of trespassing on his property.'

'We'll tell him the truth,' said Doc. 'We'll say that we're here to save his life.'

'We're not going to tell him we're time travellers, are we?' Marty Jr asked, concerned.

'Oh, goodness, no,' Doc protested. 'We'll tell him the same thing we plan to tell the police. We overheard Elias Grey plotting to sell some diseased chickens to Jack Coleman, in an attempt to start an epidemic.'

'We're at number 435,' said Marty. 'I think we're pretty close.'

'Here it is!' exclaimed Harmony. 'This is number 444, and it has the name Coleman on the mail box.'

'Okay, kids,' instructed Doc, 'pull down your radiation masks. If Jack Coleman asks any questions - just leave all the talking to me, okay?'

'Got it, Doc,' the Martys replied, simultaneously.

'Right, Grandpa,' added Harmony.

Doc then pulled the station wagon into the driveway, and the quartet slowly stepped out of the car. Just then, a man walked out of the barn up to the quartet. He had a look of suspicion on his face.

'Who are you people?' demanded the farmer. 'What are you doing here.'

'Oh, uh, hello, Mr. Coleman,' stammered Doc, as he pulled up his radiation mask. 'I'm Dr. Emmett Brown. We came here to warn you about a certain individual named Elias Grey. It's my understanding that you ordered some chickens from him?'

'That is correct,' replied Jack. 'He is supposed to arrive in...' Jack checked his watch, and he continued, '... in about fifteen minutes. What's wrong with him? Is he a con artist?'

'Worse,' replied Doc. 'His chickens are diseased with a certain virus. He stole them from another farmer, and it's a virus can affect humans. It can cause you to die within a matter of 24 hours.'

'Oh, hey,' Jack said, as he began to realize something, 'suddenly I'm starting to remember why the name Elias Grey sounds so familiar. He got arrested fifteen years ago for medical malpractice. Thank you so much for warning me. You know, there was something about the name that was bugging me. I just couldn't figure out what it was, until now.'

'I think you'd better head into the house,' Doc suggested. 'Just leave everything up to us. We know what we're doing, and we'll get that bastard arrested.'

'Well, are you sure you don't need my help?' asked Jack. 'He does sound like a very dangerous man.'

'No, we'll be fine,' replied Doc. 'We have radiation suits on, so we have protection from the disease. Thanks for offering, though.'

'Not a problem, sir,' Jack replied, smiling. 'Thank you once again for warning me about the man.'

'It's our pleasure,' Doc replied, smiling back. Doc then pulled his radiation mask back down, and he turned to the teens and said, 'Now help me with the equipment, kids.'

The Martys and Harmony then helped Doc remove the equipment from the car, as they were prepared to face Elias Grey. 


	10. Chapter 9

_May 1, 2016  
2:28 PM PDT_

The Martys and Harmony sat at the picnic table, as they were waiting to Elias Grey to arrive at the farm.

'I am so nervous,' mumbled Harmony. 'I mean, what is he going to be driving? We're actually going to be facing a madman.'

'Yeah, I see what you mean,' Marty said, nodding. 'Well, if I can face down Buford Tannen - I guess I can face down a madman. Actually, a mad scientist, to be exact.'

Just then, they saw a truck about to pull into the driveway. Marty felt his heart racing fast. This had to be Elias Grey. Doc then went up to the man, to greet him.

'Hi,' greeted the man. 'My name is Dr. Elias Grey. Is your name Jack Coleman?'

'Uh, yeah, I'm Jack Coleman,' Doc replied, nervously. 'I was waiting for your chickens to arrive.'

'Say, what's with the radiation suit?' asked Elias.

'Oh, uh, well,' stammered Doc, 'I was working on a little nuclear experiment.'

Marty Jr then stood up to make his way over to Doc and Elias.

'Do you mind if I ask what type of experiment?' asked Elias. He then glanced over to Marty Jr - who immediately shined the sleep-inducing alpha-rhythm generator into his eyes, causing him to pass out.

'Okay, kids,' Doc instructed, 'let's go restrain him, now.'

Marty then grabbed some handcuffs, while he snapped Elias' hands behind his back. Marty Jr and Harmony then grabbed some mummy wrap, as they wrapped Elias' legs together tightly - up to his waist. The Martys and Harmony then lifted up Elias' body, while they plopped him into a feed sack. They then tied the feedsack securely around Elias' neck.

'Okay, Harmony,' called out Marty, 'do you have your cell phone on you? We should call the police now. Elias should be out for about an hour.'

'Yeah, Grandpa,' replied Harmony, as she handed her cellphone to Doc, 'here you go.'

'Gee, we actually did it!' exclaimed Marty Jr. 'I can hardly believe it! We actually managed to thwart this madman's plans.'

'Yes, mission accomplished!' added Marty, excitedly.

Doc then grabbed the cellphone from Harmony, as he began to call the police. After about three rings, someone had answered.

'Hello, this is the Sacramento Police Department,' replied a feminine voice. 'How may I help you?'

'Hello, this is Dr. Emmett Brown,' replied Doc. 'I am calling to report an attempt to contaminate Jack Coleman's farm. I am very certain that the chickens that Dr. Elias Grey had tried to sell to Jack Coleman are contaminated, with a very deadly virus.'

'Thank you for calling in and reporting this,' replied the feminine voice. 'We've been after Elias Grey for awhile, and we've suspected for a few months that he might be guilty of medical malpractice. Just give us about ten minutes to send some squad cars over. I can assure you, we will take some immediate action. Thanks again for calling us. We do take such reports like this very seriously.'

'All right, then,' replied Doc. 'Have a nice day!'

'You too, Dr. Brown,' replied the feminine voice.

Doc then hung up the phone, and he turned to the Martys and Harmony. 'Well, we now have him tied up snugly, and he'll be out for an hour. The police should be here real shortly.'

'The enemy certainly cannot escape, now,' Harmony said, triumphantly. 'This obviously dangerous man is an enemy of all of mankind. He is obviously one very troubled individual. I hope he remains in prison for life.'

'Now Elias Grey is what you would call a crackpot scientist,' added Marty Jr. 'He is someone who is so bitter with the world, that he would consider trying to spread such a deadly epidemic.'

'Okay, I think you kids should go hide before the police gets here,' suggested Doc. 'The last thing we need to deal with right now is having to answer some tricky questions. I'll have to see to it that the police keeps my identity private, in order to avoid creating a disruption to the space-time continuum. Now you kids still have the newspapers, right?'

'That's correct, Doc,' replied Marty. 'I guess that will be our way of checking to see if future history gets altered. I'm sure we'll succeed, Doc. We will become heroes. It's a shame that we'll have to keep this to ourselves, for obvious reasons.'

'Well, it certainly isn't going to stop us from from showing inner pride in ourselves,' commented Harmony.

'Yeah, that's very true,' Marty said, nodding. 'Now the three of us had better go hide, before the police gets here.'

The Martys and Harmony then went to hide in the woods.

oooooooooo

Doc, the Martys, and Harmony were watching - as they saw the police dragging away Dr. Elias Grey. The Martys and Harmony then sifted through the newspapers they brought back with them. All the headlines about victims who have died from Jack Coleman Fever started to disappear.

'We did it! We did it!' exclaimed Marty, jumping up and down, excitedly.

'That means Andy will be okay,' Marty Jr added, excitedly. 'Now Dr. Grey is someone who is truly a mad scientist, thinking that he could try to bring about an apocalypse. It's really not fair that people treat you like a mad scientist, Doc. You may not necessarily conform to social norms, but you are most definitely harmless. I swear that sometimes closed-minded people make me so damn angry!'

'Yeah, Grandpa,' added Harmony, 'it's really not fair how some people would dare lump you in with people like Dr. Grey and those of his ilk. Thank you so much for helping us bring Andy back to life. It's sickening how he tried to sell those diseased chickens off to Jack Coleman. I mean, it's bad enough that he was conning money off of Jack Coleman - but it's even worse that he tried to kill Jack Coleman, hence the name of that dreaded disease.'

'It was no problem,' Doc said, smiling. 'I mean, it was our duty to do our part to prevent this terrible disaster from ever occuring.'

'I guess it's a good thing you thought to send me to the future when you did, Doc,' Marty said, smiling.

'Well, you could say this this is a day of rebirth,' Marty Jr said, smiling. 'This day could have led to a major world tragedy - but, thanks to us, we've been able to stop that event from ever occuring.'

'Well, gang,' Doc said, smiling, 'Let's get back to May 14, 2016 - then Marty Sr and I should head back to 1986.'

'Sounds like a deal, Doc,' replied the Martys and Harmony, simultaneously. 


	11. Chapter 10

_May 14, 2016  
4:00 PM PDT_

'Okay, here we are!' exclaimed Doc, as he piloted the station wagon into Hill Valley Park. 'I believe this is the time you came from.'

'We should check the newspapers,' suggested Marty, 'just to make sure everything is okay. We don't want to strand our offspring into another Hell Valley.'

'Oh, yeah, good thinking, Marty!' exclaimed Doc. 'It's always good to double check, and make sure nothing is amiss.'

The Martys and Harmony quickly scanned through the newspaper headlines - and they noticed that, other than the lack of headlines relating to Jack Coleman Fever, everything seemed normal.

'Look, Grandpa!' exclaimed Harmony. 'There are some headlines about Elias Grey being tried and convicted. He's facing life in prison.'

'Oh, good!' exclaimed the Martys, in unison.

'Everything looks great!' added Marty Jr, as he and Harmony stepped out of the car. 'Thank you once again for helping us to thwart the epidemic.'

'Hey, we were just doing our duty,' Marty said, smiling. 'Well, you guys take good care of yourselves!'

'Yeah, it's not like the epidemic wouldn't have affected us, too,' Doc reminded them.

'Oh, yeah,' added Marty, 'I have some gifts for you guys. I know how much you guys really like the '80 - so we bought you some items.'

Marty then reached into the back, and handed Harmony and Marty Jr a huge box.

'Oh, thank you so much, Marty!' exclaimed Harmony, as she embraced Marty. Harmony then went on to embrace Doc.

'Yeah, thanks, Daddy!' exclaimed Marty Jr, as he embraced Marty. 'You're the best!' Then Marty Jr embraced Doc.

'Hey, it was my pleasure to share the joy,' Marty said, smiling at Marty Jr and Harmony.

'Take care, you kids!' called out Doc. 'It's been nice seeing you again!'

'I also enjoyed seeing you guys again,' added Marty. Then, stepping into the car, Marty said, 'Well, Doc, let's get our asses back to the past.'

Marty and Doc waved to Marty Jr and Harmony from the car. Marty Jr and Harmony waved back. They then watched, as Doc piloted the station wagon into the air and accellerated until they broke the time barrier.

'Well, let's head home, now,' Marty Jr suggested, turning to Harmony.

'Why don't we head right over to Andy's house?' asked Harmony.

'Well, we can't just drop by without calling first,' said Marty. 'Besides, I want to make sure everything is back to normal. Also, I want to see if my dad remembers this incident from thirty years ago.'

'Thirty years ago?' Harmony asked, confused.

'You're not thinking fourth dimensionally,' Marty Jr chided, gently. 'Remember that it my dad from thirty years ago who helped us to thwart the epidemic. He is now thirty years older.'

Harmony thought for a moment, then she gasped, 'Why, yes, of course! I can't believe I didn't even think of that. I guess I must be having a blonde moment.'

Marty Jr and Harmony both chuckled a bit.

'It's okay, Harmony,' Marty Jr said, gently. 'It's just that I'm usually the one who has trouble thinking fourth dimensionally.'

Marty Jr and Harmony embraced, before heading over to the McFly's home.

oooooooooo

'Welcome home, Marty Jr,' went the computerized auto-greeter, as Marty Jr pressed his thumb up to the plate. He and Harmony then stepped inside.

'So how are you kids doing?' Marty asked, cheerfully, as he stepped out from the kitchen.

'We're doing pretty good, Dad,' Marty Jr replied, as he hugged his father. 'Say, do you remember what happened - thirty years ago from today?'

Marty thought for a moment, then he said, 'Ah, yes, I do remember! That was the day Doc and I helped helped you guys thwart the epidemic caused by Elias Grey! Ah, yes, of course! The news of his conviction has been all over the headlines. I knew there was something familiar about the situation, but I couldn't place my finger on it. Now that you guys reminded me, though...'

'So Andy Hopkins is still alive?' Marty Jr asked, hopefully.

'He's as alive as ever,' Marty said, smiling. 'Oh, yeah, he wanted you guys to come over this evening. They're not gonna be home until eight, though.'

'So what about the last couple of weeks?' asked Harmony. 'Are we ever going to remember what happened in this timeline?'

'Oh, yes, you will,' replied Marty, smiling. 'Soon, the ripple effect will catch up with you guys - and you will have two sets of memories.'

'Two sets of memories?' Harmony asked, stunned. 'You mean, we're still going to retain our memories of Andy dying? But I don't want to remember that!'

'Yeah, I don't want to remember, either,' Marty Jr added. 'I mean, it's too upsetting to think about. This is going to give me nightmares!'

'We already had this discussion, children, remember?' Marty chided, gently. 'You said that this event would make you appreciate Andy more, and not take his friendship so much for granted.'

'Oh, yeah, right,' Harmony said, blushing. 'Still, it's just so painful to think about.'

'Also, the pain aside,' Marty Jr added, 'it's going to be so confusing to have two sets of memories.'

'Hey,' Marty said, smiling, 'just be thankful it's only the last two weeks, and not the last seventeen years of your life. I mean, even today, I still have memories of both timelines - before I first went back to 1955. Talking about my childhood can be so confusing at times, you know?'

'Yeah, I can imagine it would be,' Harmony said, nodding.

'So are you kids hungry?' asked Marty. 'I could hydrate you kids a pizza. I have a five-cheese pizza for you guys.'

'That sounds awesome, Dad!' Marty Jr said, smiling. 'Then, later on, we can go through this box.'

'There's some Nintendo games in there,' Marty said, smiling. 'We can play Nintendo, when we're done with our pizza.'

'Can we hydrate some breadsticks, too?' asked Harmony. 'Do you have some Pepsi Perfect?'

'That sounds great, kids,' Marty replied. 'Marlene isn't home, yet - but I did pick up a veggie pizza for her.'

'I'm sure she'll appreciate that,' Harmony said, smiling. 


	12. Epilogue

_May 14, 2016  
8:00 PM PDT_

As Marty Jr walked over to Andy's house with Harmony, he felt a little bit apprehensive. However, as soon as he rang the doorbell, Andy had answered it.

'Hello, Andy!' Marty Jr squealed, as he quickly threw his arms around his friend.

'Well, well, well,' Andy said, laughing, 'what are you so happy about?'

'I'm just happy that you're alive,' explained Marty Jr. 'You see, I had a bad dream that you were killed from some terrible epidemic. Here, I bought you a little gift.'

Andy pressed his finger to the top of the package, causing the wrapping paper to peel off automatically. It was an old Nintendo game cartridge called The Legend of Zelda.

'Oh, thank you so much, Marty!' Andy exclaimed, throwing his arms around Marty Jr. 'Say, where did you get this game from? I mean, they're so hard to find in this day and age.'

'It's a secret,' Marty Jr said, winking at Harmony.

'I bought you a present, too,' added Harmony, as she handed another package to Andy.

Andy had opened up the package, too. It was a bag of M&Ms from 1986 - which was, of course, in a clear sandwich bag.

'What are these?' asked Andy. 'Candy?'

'Yeap,' replied Harmony, smiling. 'Just pop one in your mouth, and tell me if you like it.'

Andy popped one in his mouth, and he said, 'Oh, these are so delicious! Thank you so much! Where did you get these from?'

'It's a secret,' Harmony replied, winking at Marty Jr.

'Well, it was really nice of you two to think of me,' replied Andy, smiling.

'Well, that's what friends are for,' Harmony said, smiling.

'Yeah,' agreed Marty Jr, 'The two of you mean so much to me. Now, shall we head over to Cafe 80s for awhile?'

'Oh, yes, for sure!' Harmony and Andy replied, in unison.

Marty Jr then put his arms around his two best friends, as the three of them headed over to Cafe 80s.

oooooooooo

As Marty Jr, Harmony, and Andy had arrived at the Cafe 80s - they had each ordered a Pepsi Perfect, then they went to play Wild Gunman.

'Doesn't it feel so great to be alive?' Andy said, smiling. 'I love being able to hang with you guys at Cafe 80s.'

'Yeah, it's great to be able to play old school video games like this,' replied Harmony.

'Believe me,' Marty Jr said, smiling, 'I had come to really see life in a brand new light. I will now make sure to savour every moment, and to seize the day.'

'Oh, Marty, what happened?' asked Andy, a little concerned. 'You seem to be acting a bit strangely tonight.'

'Oh, it's just that I had a really bad dream earlier today,' explained Marty Jr. 'You see, I dreamed that you were dying of a terrible disease called Jack Coleman Fever - and that you died in my arms. It was really heartbreaking.'

'Oh, goodness!' exclaimed Andy. 'That is awful. I guess all the news reports about that lunatic, Dr. Grey, trying to sell some contaminated chickens to Jack Coleman and spread a terrible disease must have really gotten to you. I guess I can't really blame you. I don't understand how some people can be so sick.'

'I guess some people are just born without a conscience,' Marty Jr suggested, rolling his eyes. 'Well, I guess I should stop watching the news so much. Much of it is so depressing - and some of it really does make you question humanity. It's sad to think about how there is so much evil in this world.'

'With, with having friends like you guys,' Harmony said, smiling, 'you always prevent me from entirely losing my faith in humanity.'

'I know what you mean about the news being depressing,' Andy said, nodding. 'I know, look at all the wars, violence, and poverty that we have in this world. I mean, even here in the good old US of A, we have so much violence that takes place.'

'I still remember when I was a little boy,' Marty Jr said, 'and George W Bush was the US president. I felt so ashamed to be an American, I refused to say The Pledge of Allegiance in school. Now that the Democrats are in power, and we have a woman president, I think there is hope for the country. I mean, I still wouldn't say that I'm proud to be an American - but I'm not ashamed of it, either. I just simply don't see the point in national pride, as that can be divisive.'

'I just try to avoid all the political websites on the internet,' Harmony agreed. 'I've been to Canada a few times, and I've felt that the people there were real friendly. I might even want to move there someday. Still, on certain websites, it almost seems as if Americans and Canadians hate each other - but, of course, that's not true.'

'Yeah, you can't believe everything you see on the internet,' agreed Andy. 'The problem is, the internet does attract all kinds of immature, intolerant people. I mean, I've ran across a few racist websites that made me feel sick. Of course, this doesn't mean the internet is all bad. There is a lot of good information on the internet, too.'

'Besides, Canadians and Americans are practically cousins,' added Marty Jr. 'Also, many American immigrate to Canada - and vice versa. All things considered, we really are best friends.'

'Also, not to mention that our beloved Michael J Fox is from Canada,' Harmony said, smiling. 'He's such a nice fellow. I hope to meet him, someday.'

'Dad has met him a few times,' Marty Jr said. 'He said that Michael has a very wonderful personality. I never got to meet him, though.'

'Well, anyway,' said Harmony, 'it's people like you, Andy, your dad, and Michael J Fox that keeps me from losing all faith in humanity.'

'Yeah, this world could use more people just Michael J Fox,' Andy said, smiling.

Just then, The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and The News began to play.

'Oh, yay, my favourite song!' exclaimed Marty Jr. 'Of course, it's my dad's favourite song, too. Back In Time is a great song, too.'

'I like Hip to Be Square,' replied Harmony, smiling. 'Such a happy and upbeat tune.'

'For me,' Andy said, smiling, 'my favourite is The Heart of Rock and Roll. Basically, anything by Huey Lewis and The News is good.'

'Okay, Marty, it's your turn,' Harmony said, cheerfully, as she handed Marty Jr the gun.

Marty Jr shot at the game, and he was a Crack Shot.

'You're just like your dad,' Harmony said, laughing.

Marty Jr then smiled at his friend. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this happy. Life was great. 


End file.
